|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
|||||||||
| THE WILLOW FAMILY | |||||||||
| The willows are widespread, especially in north temperate and subarctic regions of the world. The bark on the trunks may be smooth or rough and can vary in colour from white to brownish to gray. The leaves are simple and alternate. The male and female flowers are on separate plants. The flowers are in spike-like clusters called catkins. The flowers are very small and do not have sepals or petals. The male flowers consist of nectaries and stamens with a single bract below. The female flowers consist of nectaries, and a superior ovary with a single bract below. The fruit is a capsule that contains many small seeds, each of which has a tuft of long, white silky hairs. | |||||||||
| NARROWLEAF COTTONWOOD | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Populus angustifolia | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Narrowleaf cottonwood can grow up to 15 m high and have a diameter at breast height of 20 to 50 cm. The bark is light brown and is shallowly roughened on the lower portion of the trunk. The winter buds are reddish and sticky. The leaves have a short, round leaf stalk. The blades are lance-shaped to oval with a wedge-shaped base. The male flowers have 10 to 20 stamens. The female flowers have a superior ovary with two to four stigmas. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Narrowleaf cottonwood grows on streambanks, plains, and foothills. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant is found in southwestern Saskatchewan in the Cypress Upland ecoregion. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Narrowleaf cottonwood is endangered because it is extremely rare and regionally restricted in Saskatchewan. This species is almost always locally sparse. Immediate or probable threats have been identified. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY NARROWLEAF COTTONWOOD | |||||||||
| * Is it a large tree with roughened bark at the
bottom and smooth bark above? * Are the male and female flowers in catkins on separate trees? * Is the leaf stalk round? * Did you find it in southwestern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found narrowleaf cottonwood! |
|||||||||
